


Out of Reach

by Judgey_Fish_Caretaker



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bending (Avatar), Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked, F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Implied Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, One-sided Aang/Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara Month 2020, Zutara Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24704857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judgey_Fish_Caretaker/pseuds/Judgey_Fish_Caretaker
Summary: "At times, the Moon and Sun share the sky for only for a few hours – just out of reach. They cannot be together, but they need each other all the same." Following their triumphant reunion in Bang Sing Se at the Hundred Year War's close, Katara and a restless Zuko share a moment of reflection of what the future may hold. [zutara] [one-shot/drabble]
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73
Collections: Zutara Month 2020





	Out of Reach

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Oh hi.
> 
> Uh, so like many others I have jumped on the bandwagon and streamed ATLA during this time of social distancing - and got HOOKED. I immediately became a sucker for Zutara and just knew I had to write a drabble or one-shot of some kind.
> 
> Full disclaimer: I have never read or written an ATLA fic before so I hope this is someone enjoyable and makes sense.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> [Icon Image - "Euphoria" by nymre]
> 
> (This takes place the evening following the ATLA series finale)

...

_"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun"_

...

Zuko couldn't sleep.

Maybe that last cup of tea Uncle Iroh had insisted on was not wise at this hour. Or, maybe, it was sheer nerves that had finally caught up to him. His head was a whirlwind of thoughts, anxieties, and recollections of the last few weeks. They allowed him no rest.

He hopelessly flopped onto his back, staring at the vaulted ceilings of his uncle's apartment overhead. As much as he had newfound pride in his nation, his palace didn't feel as – dare he admit - warm as the architecture of the Earth Kingdom's. Dark wood paneling and intimate areas aimed for comfort whereas steal and marble back home felt cold, domineering, and distant. A distinct separation between the palace and its people. As a young lord at the ripe age of sixteen, he had all the time in the world to make the necessary changes needed for his nation. Avatar knows that the Earth Kingdom had their own social hierarchy that required reform: the gold gilded rooves of their exquisite buildings had been an appropriate metaphor of what hid beneath the facade. One step at a time – he had faith.

With all that thinking, there would be no sleep tonight. Zuko thrashed off the remaining sheets covering his legs before leaping out of bed. Slipping into a loaned tunic of lush green, Zuko tip-toed through the apartment's living room, careful not to overstep his uncle's hospitality by waking him at such an odd hour. Admittedly, his uncle always had the right words to ease Zuko's troubled mind, but tonight he would prefer to take this walk alone.

The surrounding residences of the Upper Ring slumbered as Zuko aimlessly zig zagged through its manicured streets of homes and apartment compounds. Usually bustling with citizens, especially following the liberation of Bang Sing Se and the recent free reign of its citizen roaming between rings, Zuko enjoyed the evening quiet of the city blocks. It was an opportunity to reflect without interruption. A chance to quiet his mind.

Once he returned to Capital Island there was much work to be done. The sheer thought of it all excited him, but not without slight dread and all but familiar doubts. Moments of quiet were fleeting.

The peculiar sound of running water momentarily distracted Zuko from his inner contemplation. The sound was irregular, almost melodic. He earnestly followed its sounds, leading him through a cobbled sidewalk between two homes and out into an open neighborhood plaza of sorts. The surrounding lanterns had been long extinguished but Zuko was still able to make out a familiar figure through the darkness.

At the square's center stood Katara, illuminated solely by the dim blue light of the overhead Moon.

If Katara had noticed him she didn't let on as she remained undisturbed at the edge of the square's fountain. It was an ornate piece, two-tiers of white marble and trimmed with gold. The fountain's water rose and fell with a brush of her hands, swooshing around her in coils and swirls. Zuko didn't announce his arrival at first and quietly watching her from his corner of the plaza. He found waterbending to the most elegant of bending and observed how the shimmering currents obeyed the slightest gesture and flutter of her hands, almost though a partner in a dance. He watched in additional awe as the smaller streams delicately circled her wrists and between her fingers with ease. To have such control over an element was mesmerizing.

Zuko noted she too donned a long green gown, no doubt an amenity from the guest house she was being hosted at nearby. An unexpected memory of her wearing her wearing traditional Fire Nation garb briefly crossed Zuko's mind, a blurred image of deep red and bare tanned skin. It disappeared as quickly as it formed. _Yikes_ – what was that about?

_Pull it together, Zuko._

"Are you going to say hi or are you just going to stand there?" Katara called out. She opened one eye, shooting a smirk in his direction. Zuko quickly composed himself, grateful for the dark that masked the blush threatening to creep up his neck.

"I know better than to startle a might waterbender while she practices her technique." He retorted with his trademark side grin as he approached her.

"Hmm." She scoffed, unconvinced. "You don't scare me, Lord Zuko." She performed one last sweep above, the stream just skimming the top of Zuko's head, before releasing the water back into the bottom basin with a satisfied 'plop'. She brushed loose hair from her face before her teasing blue eyes rounded, wide with sudden concern at the sight of him. He was certain he was quite the spectacle of a haphazardly thrown on tunic and tussled hair from another restless night.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked gently.

"No." He confessed. "You?"

Katara sighed. "No." She loosely gestured to the fountain. "That's why I went for a walk. Sometimes bending helps. It's soothing for me."

"Wish I could say the same…" Zuko chuckled. He turned his palm upward, igniting a small flame. "There's little soothing about fire." It sparked and crackled at a twitch of his fingers. He had long abandoned the technique of fueling his firebending with rage and anger, adopting its intended representation of energy and life since his dance with dragons. However, it was still arguably a quite aggressive element not to be bended lightly. "It's not very relaxing."

"Not true." Katara countered, her tone nipped with her usual pragmatic air. "Growing up in the Southern Water Tribe we would spend many evenings as a community while the elders told stories and our history around a fire. And, not to mention- "She teased, a hand finding her hip. "-fire heats up water for tea, doesn't it? So, I think your uncle would also beg to differ."

Katara was so good at that: Effortlessly providing words of comfort or advice perfect when the occasion called for it. Her innate instinct and tact were something Zuko felt he often lacked.

Zuko wordlessly contemplated his kindled fire for a moment before forcefully outstretching his arm, thrusting the flame from his palm. Its flames splintered off, shooting across the dark plaza in bright sparks and lighting the nearby lanterns. A warm, subdued yellow glow and Katara's delighted laughter filled the square.

"Oh, Zuko! It's perfect." She gushed with a clap of her hands. His heart swelled while allowing a rare smile to escape. Zuko knew she had long forgiven him, but he still secretly thrived off of her approval. She sat down on the fountain's edge and patted the unoccupied space besides her. He obliged.

She turned to him and gave a warm smile. "I'm so proud of you and who you've become. The Fire Nation is lucky to have you as their leader." Her large blue eyes shone with genuine pride and Zuko floundered at her praise.

"Hey now –" Zuko faltered. "Aang was the one who saved the world here." He could not miss the brief sparkle in her eye at their friend's name – why did his heart twinge?

"We all did our part." She assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder with a squeeze. "It will take time, but things will be better now." Zuko gave a curt nod.

They sat briefly in a comfortable silence as though each were imagining all that Katara's prediction could entail: a new, free world where the nations would once again be in harmony. It was something not seen in over a century and, before a few days ago, seemed unattainable. Zuko had promised Aang they would accomplish great things together, but the sheer thought of getting started was daunting to a young man who had known nothing but war and being on the run. When it became all too dizzying, Zuko would fixate on what was closest to steady him: a girlfriend waiting for him back home, the opening of his uncle's dream tea shop, the possibility of answers on the whereabouts of his mother…

Katara nonchalantly kicked her feet back and forth, combing her fingers through her loose hair. As though sensing his new unease, she piped up.

"Mai seems nice." She offered cheerily.

That was kind - she wasn't.

Well, maybe just to him.

"Yeah, she is."

A beat passed.

"Uhm." Zuko took his shot. "And Aang, he's really cool."

She averted her eyes to her feet. Pink rose to her cheeks. "Yeah, he is."

Silence. A confirmation to Zuko's suspicions. Her answer tasted inexplicably bitter but Zuko doesn't chew on it for too long, lest he admitted something to himself he was unwilling to recognize just yet.

_Bury it, Zuko._

He instead watched her profile from his peripheral. What did she think about to ground herself, he wondered? Lost in her own thoughts, Katara's fingers absentmindedly grazed the pendant that hung from her blue choker. Delicately carved with the waterbending emblem, Zuko had later learned it was an heirloom and sole memento she possessed from deceased mother. His stomach turned sour at idea he had once used something so dear to her as a petty bargaining tool for his own gains. The Fire Nation's crimes against their mothers was a trauma they shared, a mutual agony that had cautiously bridged their divide in the depths of the Earth Kingdom's Crystal Catacombs.

Zuko was certain he would never forget their encounter, nor did he wish to. For someone who was a waterbender, Katara's words at come out like licking flames and her cool blue eyes were ablaze with fury. He, the burned prince of the Fire Nation by the Fire Lord's own hand, had even flinched from Katara's sheer intensity. She had carried so much resentment, burdened with years of justified anger, and yet had shown him mercy following his admission. The spark of his redemption could be found in her smallest gesture, no larger than a glass amulet containing precious water from the Sprit Oasis she had been so selflessly prepared to give him. His face tingled at the memory of her intimate touch on his blistered cheek without reservation: the face of her enemy.

How foolish was he to resist her outreach and forgiveness at the arrival of Azula, endangering not only her but his uncle and the Avatar? The spirit water was deservedly granted to Aang and ultimately saved the world from demise, but somehow Katara still had been the catalyst to Zuko's healing.

Not all scars could be seen by the naked eye.

He had groveled for her acceptance once he joined the Avatar, but she had remained firmly indignant, fueled by her feelings of betrayal. Her rejection of him had been misery until their comradery once was rediscovered by the dark truth behind her slain mother. Aang, though driven by best intentions for his dear friend, neglected to recognize Katara's need for closure. Zuko, who understood this particular pain firsthand, had filled the role of her companion seamlessly.

Zuko reveled in the memory of their mission. Two powerful benders, tethered by conviction, scouring the Fire Nation cruiser all while anticipating the other's move without uttering a single word. A dance of water and fire, the adrenaline rush had left him nearly breathless. Zuko had never felt so in sync with another before. They could achieve anything.

It was on the ship's bridge that Katara revealed her ability to bloodbend, crippling their enemy with a single stroke of her hand. Zuko's own blood had run cold watching the leader of the Southern Raiders convulse in agony while an unrecognizable, sinister Katara reflected in his startled eyes.

However, it wasn't the eyes of the man they sought.

Once they had realized their error, he and Katara were able to swiftly locate the former commander in a nearby village. Found wrinkled and broken, Yon Rha was a mere shell of the monster he once was and had recoiled at the slightest demonstration of Katara's rage. Crumpled on the dirt, his cowering and pleading sobs were pitiful. It would have been an all too easy task.

Their journey's end would provide Katara with necessary closure but not how Zuko had foreseen it. Originally intent on revenge, Katara ultimately chose to spare the life of her mother's murderer despite being haunted by years of anguish. For so long Zuko had been deceived by kin and false teachers into believing ultimate strength was drawn from acts of vengeance and dominance, but it was Katara's grace and restraint that had most moved him.

His sister, who would spend her next years in a cell, regrettably had never learned this lesson. It led to her inevitable downfall.

Katara's face was what first came into focus as he regained consciousness on the courtyard floor after his Agni Kai for the crown. He had committed her expression that evening to memory: pure elation and relief that made itself known in tears that streaked across her cheeks. He couldn't recall someone ever looking at him in the way before. Zuko could still feel cool ripple of her healing waters.

As if recalling the same memory, Katara finally spoke. She appeared unbothered by their conversation's extended lull.

"I never properly thanked you, by the way." She said quietly, glancing down at the palms of her hands. "For saving my life."

The ominous echo of lightening crackled across his consciousness, casting its chilling blue hue on a pair of wide, frightened eyes just out of his view. It had been more of an instinct than a decision.

For her, he would have made it a million times over.

"You would have done the same." He responded. She didn't disagree. "You were also the one who defeated her in the end." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as his gaze met hers. "I'm just sorry I missed it."

"Group effort." She nudged his shoulder with her own. They shared a light laugh, in spite of the gravity of the circumstances.

"You and I make a good team" The words fell from Zuko's mouth before he realized their implication. An awkward hush fell over them. Katara hugged the front of her chest and looked away as Zuko suddenly became preoccupied by the threads at the bottom of his tunic.

 _Good going_ , he thought dryly to himself. He prodded a loose stone with his foot, trying to ignore the uncomfortable sensation of his heart caught in his throat and the new tension that had joined them. Eloquence had certainly never been the new Fire Lord's specialties. Even if he was well spoken, Zuko doubted he would have been able to find the right words to say. He could hardly formulate his own thoughts right now, his own feelings.

"Katara, I-"

Zuko started to to stumble over what would have been a messy clarification before Katara interrupted him.

"I just love the moon."

 _What?_ Zuko noticed Katara's head tilted upward and followed her gaze above them. The evening was spectacularly clear, the moon's light so brilliant that it was challenging to see even the brightest stars scattered across the deep blue canvas of the night sky.

"Oh yeah, Sokka does too!" His excited exclamation prompted a raised eyebrow and side eye. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, so he told me…"

How did that phrase go again – silence is golden?

Katara ignored his outburst, expanding her point without so much as missing a beat. "It is said the original waterbenders relied on the Moon as a teacher, studying how it pushed and pulled the tides and then learning how to recreate this flow of energy ourselves. The Moon is central to a waterbender's life, no matter what tribe they belong to."

Zuko attentively listened. _It is important to draw wisdom from many different places_ Uncle Iroh had once taught him. While he would have never acknowledged it as the vengeful banished prince, Zuko had been secretly curious by the waterbenders and their unique fighting methods. Their versatile technique transformed their defense maneuvers to offensive by manipulating their environment and turning their opponents own attacks against them. Recognized for fluidity and grace, but no less effective than its element counterparts. Granted, Zuko past self had experienced this truth a _bit_ more firsthand than he would have liked to.

"Although, I think there is so much more that can be learned from the Moon's nature." Katara thoughtfully reflected. "It graces the evening with its tranquil beauty, but it's also important to remember that it's not alone. It shares the same sky with a fierce power, a fiery blaze: the Sun. Serenity and ferocity, opposites, yet a harmonious coexistence." Zuko touched his fingertips his scorched face, his personal evidence of the sun's wrath. "Despite their inherent differences, the existence of both is necessary in maintaining nature's balance. They are destined to circle the earth for eternity, a celestial chase- "

A new wistfulness crept in her voice, drawing Zuko's attention away from the moon and to her face as she continued. "Sometimes they do meet, and people are awed by their joined brilliance and what they're capable of." Her hand returned to the pendent on her neck, her eyes never wavering from above them. "Other times, they share the sky for only for a few hours – just out of reach. They cannot be together side by side, but they need each other all the same."

Zuko's heart pounded in his chest.

He wasn't so sure they were talking about the Sun and the Moon anymore.

Katara at last faced him, the moon's light overhead revealing a glistening in her eyes he did not notice before. She gave a smile before finishing with an assured whisper. "Even when the Sun is out of reach, the Moon reflects his light, reminding the world of his softness."

Zuko was momentarily paralyzed by her words as though either his chi had been blocked or the most powerful airbender themselves had personally sucked the wind out of him. All Zuko could muster was a dazed expression in her direction, his mouth hung slightly agape.

How could he even begin to respond?

His journey from a young exiled prince to an ally of the Avatar had been not only confusing but an often times painful transformation, both physically and mentally. In addition to navigating immense feelings of loneliness and heartache, Zuko had wrestled with a complicated set of new emotions.

He had previously carried little regard for those who had despised him, his apathy used as a shield. Yet he had been so desperate to win Katara's favor-

Squeezing his eyes shut, he pinched the bridge of his nose to steady himself.

_Breathe._

He loved Mai. Though often times sullen, her patience and level-headedness were comforting. Her devotion to him was humbling. What he felt for Katara was a tempestuous storm. A complicated ebb and flow. Her family had been destroyed by his nation's previous reign – their friendship alone was miraculous in itself and proof of the world's healing. He alone felt blessed to be even in her company, so even the slightest reciprocation of his complex feelings had him woozy.

But even the most reformed Fire Lord would be hard pressed to compete with the Avatar for such affections.

With his eyes still shut, he felt her lips press against his scarred cheek. Unannounced and unapologetic. It was impossible for her to not have tasted the salt that soaked his face.

"Goodnight, Zuko."

By the time Zuko opened his eyes, all he was able to see was Katara's retreating back before she disappeared around the corner. Surrounded by the low simmering light of the lanterns and the gurgling of the fountain behind him, he was left alone.

Finally succumbing to weariness, Zuko collapsed on his back and stare upward at the sky at the Moon. He basked in its glow with renewed purpose.

He would see her in morning once their friends reconvened at Uncle Iroh's tea house. They would all share a laugh over an abundant breakfast Uncle Iroh would so generously prepare, complete with the finest tea that even Zuko would have a hard time denying its delectable flavor. Maybe they would both share a knowing glance and a huge goodbye that lingered just short of avoiding any suspicion. Then it would be time for each of them to return home to fulfill the duties the awaited them in this new era, until the world called for their unison again or life allowed them the pleasure of friends' company.

_The Moon and Sun cannot share the same sky for too long_

That's how their cycle would continue: a series of greetings, private smiles, and sometimes a brush of a shoulder just let the other know they're nearby. A cherished pause in the chase where the Sun glanced over its shoulder, just to watch the Moon rise before another farewell.

And that's how they would be.

_Just out of reach._

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Oh, I do so hope you all liked it! I know it was a bit of a tease but part of me copes with sunk ships by creating a canon compliant story that still supports its existence - if that makes sense?
> 
> Since this is my first work for ATLA, please let me know what you think by dropping a review if possible! Maybe I'll be brave enough for another drabble.
> 
> If you did like it and also enjoy Star Wars, that's where the majority of my other fics live.
> 
> thank you!


End file.
